“I don’t know if they have got enough” - Michael Vaughan on the one big worry for Team India ahead of T20 World Cup
Former England captain Michael Vaughan admitted that Team India would be among the favorites for the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia later in the year. He did, however, believe that India's lack of bowling alternatives is still a major concern before the ICC tournament.
Due to their mix of five bowlers and six hitters, India have frequently lost T20I matches. They often end up giving up too many additional runs on days when some of their key bowlers have off days. India's all-rounder Hardik Pandya has returned to white-ball cricket, but his bowling performance has not been up to par.
When Team India take on England in three T20Is and three ODIs beginning on Thursday (July 7), they will continue their T20 World Cup preparations.
Speaking ahead of the series, Vaughan told Cricbuzz:
“India are a talented bunch and they should be right up there with the favorites for the T20 World Cup, but they’ve got to find a better mechanism. I just worry about the bowling options for India. I don’t know if they have got enough. They always seem to have five bowling options and six batters.”
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The former England captain continued:
“I personally would want seven options in T20 cricket. It’s about trying to find players in the top 5, who can offer you overs. Maybe Hardik Pandya bats in the top 5. That makes your line-up a bit thicker. But I do worry for India that they don’t have enough bowling options.”
Hardik was initially called up as the sixth bowler for the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. However, as he did not recover from a back injury, he was handed the role of the finisher. The ploy backfired as the all-rounder struggled with the bat.
He was subsequently dropped from the team before earning a recall for the home series against South Africa.
“Every game for India matters to us” - Team India captain Rohit Sharma
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In some good news for India, Rohit Sharma will be available for the first T20I of the series against England, which begins in Southampton on Thursday (July 7).
Asked how the team is viewing the series, Rohit said:
"Of course, keeping one eye on the World Cup. I would not say it is preparation, every game for India matters to us. So we want to come here and tick every box and make sure that we get the job done. As much as we want to keep one eye on the World Cup, we want to make sure we are getting the job done here as well.”
Team India will play three T20Is against England, which will be followed by an equal number of ODIs. The six white-ball games will be played from July 7 to July 17.